WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Rookie Paul Pierce tied a season high
with 26 points and the Boston Celtics built a 14-point lead with
eight minutes left before holding on for a 101-98 victory over
the Washington Wizards.

Trailing 99-98, the Wizards had a chance to take the lead, but
Chris Whitney missed a 3-pointer from the left sideline with 1.9
seconds remaining. Dana Barros connected on a pair of free
throws with three-tenths of a second left to seal Boston's sixth
win in eight games.

"I tried to take it, but I had a big guy (Vitaly Potapenko)
coming," said Wizards point guard Rod Strickland. "I had to
give it to Chris. We fought hard to get back into this one. We
just came up short."

Walter McCarty contributed 16 points and Potapenko 15 for the
Celtics (16-24), who tied Washington for 12th place in the
Eastern Conference. Both teams are five games behind the
Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

"That was the most interesting game I've coached as a Celtic,"
said Rick Pitino. "I was shocked that we were able to play like
that (with all the injuries). We played well toward the end,
they just hung tough and we were able to pull it out."

The Celtics were without guard Kenny Anderson (hamstring) and
Ron Mercer (back spasms), neither of whom made the trip. In
addition, forward Antonie Walker sprained his left ankle midway
through the first quarter and had just six points in five
minutes.

"I stepped on someone's foot after I hit the layup," Walker
said. "It rolled on both sides. I can't even walk. I've never
been hurt -- ever. I don't know when I'll be back."

"It's a very serious sprain," added Pitino. "I think we will be
lucky if he returns."

Strickland had a season-high 31 points and 12 assists for
Washington, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.

"We started off slow and had to battle the rest of the way,"
said Wizards interim coach Jim Brovelli. "They came out and
jumped us. The guys played real well in the end. If we don't
miss that shot, we win."

Walter McCarty's layup with 8:05 remaining gave the Celtics a
78-64 advantage, but the Wizards used a 10-1 run, closing to
79-74 as Tracy Murracy connected on two free throws. But Boston
steadied itself and was leading 93-84 after Barros made two from
the line with 1:28 left.

Strickland's three-point play quickly cut into Boston's
advantage and he took a feed from Calbert Cheaney to convert a
layup that made it 93-89. After McCarty hit on the second of
two free throws, Mitch Richmond's driving layup for the Wizards
made it a one-possession game.

Following a free throw by Boston's Greg Minor, Richmond made two
from the line. Barros hit a jumper, but Whitney drained a
3-pointer from the right sideline, pulling Washington within
97-96 with 20 seconds to play.

Potapenko and Strickland traded two free throws apiece and after
McCarty failed to connect on his trip to the line with 12
seconds left, the Wizards had a chance to steal the game.

"We got lax towards the end of it but our defense held tough,"
McCarty said. "They wouldn't stop coming."

Minor scored 13 points, Tony Battie 12 and Barros 11 to give
Boston six players in double figures. McCarty grabbed eight
rebounds and Pierce, Minor and Potapenko seven each for the
Celtics, who held a 46-39 advantage on the boards and shot 46
percent (37-of-80) from the field.

"We executed when we needed to. We all stepped it up," said
Pierce. "It wasn't just me. It was a real good team effort. We
know what it's like to play with injuries all year, so if we
play as a team, we will win as a team."